Ginkgo Biloba Extract Fights Anxiety [article]

Ginkgo Biloba Extract Fights Anxiety
Jun 19 09:41am
Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is defined as nearly constant worry or fear about everyday events. Patients who suffer from it are often prescribed anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines, but such medications can have unwanted side effects.

In a study accepted by the Journal of Psychiatric Research in May, 2006, and published online ahead of print, 107 patients with GAD, or a similar condition called adjustment disorder with anxious mood, received either a high dose of a gingko biloba extract called EGb 761®, a low dose of the same extract, or a placebo for four weeks.

Result: the extract worked roughly as well as benzodiazepines, but was tolerated better, had fewer serious adverse effects and had no risk of dependence.

Although the study will need to be repeated in a larger population to verify the efficacy of the extract, it is just one more example of how the combination of compounds in a natural botanical or botanical extract can perform on a par with single-compound synthetic drugs, but with far fewer negatives. More attention needs to be given to this kind of research.

found this on the internet, thought it might be interesting for those suffering from anxiety problems like me... i had read the ingredients of my new vitamin pills and it said it had Ginkgo Biloba in it, so i thought let me research what it is... i just took one, i hope it works

[edit]Side effects
Ginkgo may have undesirable effects, especially for individuals with blood circulation disorders and those taking anticoagulants such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or warfarin, although recent studies have found that ginkgo has little or no effect on the anticoagulant properties or pharmacodynamics of warfarin in healthy subjects.[49][50] Ginkgo should also not be used by people who are taking certain types of antidepressants (monoamine oxidase inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors[51][52]) or by pregnant women, without first consulting a doctor.

I just read this at Wikipedia, note the warning about taking Ginkgo Biloba and SSRI antidepressants. There is a specific extract of the plant, EGb761, that is being used in treating the anxiety and decline of elderly dementia patients and I am guessing many of them are on SSRIs.

It looks promising I'm just giving a warning from what I read to members here on SSRIs or MAO inhibitors.